Always something new to discover through color

You would think after over three decades of focusing on color, I would tire of it and move on. The answer is still a resounding NO!!! There is not enough time for me to learn and use all there is to know about color.

Now, I find myself layering color on top of color, in different proportions and in different ways. I am still spinning, but also embroider with silk threads. They are not always my handspun, but always hand dyed or painted. When I start a new piece, I discover something that I didn't know would happen. Maybe I will stop when there are no surprises left!

Loads of color! Photo via Long Thread archives.

I am not a great computer person, but have found that on the computer, I can still make it all about color. Have you tried blenduko? It is a free app that is a color theory game. When I first heard of it and loaded it onto my tablet, I played for hours. In this game, each puzzle challenges you to place all of the colors in the "right" order. We don't always agree, but it is fun! I now have conquered all but 4 and will have to find another game when I finish.

Then my daughter introduced me to Pinterest. I made that into a quest for color combinations. I am addicted to all of those incredible photos and imagine all of the wonderful yarns I could make and embroideries to stitch. I am hopelessly addicted to looking at color, no matter what.

Layers of color in bundles of fiber. Photo by author.

I am using up my stash of small bits of dyed fibers. It is a game I play that I dare myself to put colors together that I don't think will work. Either way I win—If it works, I have a great color blend and if it doesn't, then I have a challenge to see how I can make it "work" to my eyes. I have returned to playing with color, which is the true joy of it all for me!

Deb Menz is a teacher and fiber artist who has a bone-deep understanding of color. Luckily for the rest of us, she shares her knowledge in a very approachable way through her books, workshops, and videos. We asked her to share her thoughts of color, and not surprisingly, she offers a ton of great advice to keep you trying new approaches to color.